James and I just got back from spending two days in Park City. James had a leadership retreat for work, and spouses were invited to go along for the fun of it. My mom came and stayed with the kids. This was the first time I'd left Sariah overnight. I was so ready for a break! I have been looking forward to this for several months. Earlier this week, Sariah woke up coughing one night, and all I could think about was how she just couldn't get sick because I could not bear the thought of having to cancel this trip. We stayed at a lodge in The Canyons resort and had a fantastic room completely with a gas fireplace and jetted tub. It felt so good to not have any little children waking me up during the night! (Though I woke up a couple of times on my own, I guess for old times' sake.) The food was wonderful, and I didn't even have to cook any of it. We had a blast hanging out with other people from work and their spouses. James and I got to eat as much junk food as we wanted and not have to worry about setting a bad example for the kids (or sharing any of it with them, either). I can't even express how FREE I felt--just like I was a kid again, with no worries or obligations.
However, the best part for me was today, when James was stuck sitting in presentations all day, and I got to go SHOPPING! The best thing about Park City is not the skiing, it is the outlet-mall shopping by far! I know I'm not alone in feeling this way since most of the spouses I met at James' retreat had the outlet mall at the top of their list of important places to see in Park City. I went in the morning, came back to the hotel for lunch with James, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the outlets. I raked it in! Dress shoes 80% off at Naturalizer. A $60 pair of Liz Claiborne pants for $20. But the best was at The Children's Place, where I scored 12--yes, 12--articles of clothing for $35.58!!!
In spite of having a fabulous time ON MY OWN (did I mention "no kids"???) for the day, I did start to miss Dallin and Sariah toward the end of the afternoon. In fact, I started thinking that after next weekend, when I'm without them again for two days while I go to the BYU Women's Conference, I will have pretty much had my fill of being childless for quite a long time. It was weird to sit and watch TV just the two of us in our hotel room and think that this is how we were for seven whole years. Our two silly little ones literally fill up our lives--our time, our energy, our hearts--to overflowing, and weekends-for-two aside, I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes you need a little absence to make the heart grow fonder.
However, the best part for me was today, when James was stuck sitting in presentations all day, and I got to go SHOPPING! The best thing about Park City is not the skiing, it is the outlet-mall shopping by far! I know I'm not alone in feeling this way since most of the spouses I met at James' retreat had the outlet mall at the top of their list of important places to see in Park City. I went in the morning, came back to the hotel for lunch with James, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the outlets. I raked it in! Dress shoes 80% off at Naturalizer. A $60 pair of Liz Claiborne pants for $20. But the best was at The Children's Place, where I scored 12--yes, 12--articles of clothing for $35.58!!!
In spite of having a fabulous time ON MY OWN (did I mention "no kids"???) for the day, I did start to miss Dallin and Sariah toward the end of the afternoon. In fact, I started thinking that after next weekend, when I'm without them again for two days while I go to the BYU Women's Conference, I will have pretty much had my fill of being childless for quite a long time. It was weird to sit and watch TV just the two of us in our hotel room and think that this is how we were for seven whole years. Our two silly little ones literally fill up our lives--our time, our energy, our hearts--to overflowing, and weekends-for-two aside, I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes you need a little absence to make the heart grow fonder.
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